A critical and often overlooked aspect of how the Bucs have improved year-over-year while overhauling the roster in recent seasons is the growth the team’s draft picks have had. In 2023, Luke Goedeke blossomed at right tackle and is in line to soon receive a massive contract extension. In 2024, right guard Cody Mauch was the next offensive lineman to emerge as an above-average starter, while cornerback Zyon McCollum took over the reins as Tampa Bay’s best cornerback and continues to trend upward.
This time of year, many often look at outside additions as the only way teams can improve, but these recent examples point to how players already in the building can quickly solidify areas of concern. Who could be next to follow suit and come into their own in 2025?
Graham Barton Set To Be Next Bucs Offensive Lineman To Leap
The Bucs offensive line was one of the team’s biggest strength’s last season. After re-signing left guard Ben Bredeson, the front five remains intact heading into 2025. With the growth of Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch, there is one piece left to truly unlocking the offensive line room’s potential of being the best in the NFL.
Bucs C Graham Barton And Qb Baker Mayfield
Bucs C Graham Barton and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Center Graham Barton, last year’s first-round pick.
By most accounts, Barton had a solid rookie season and the best one between him, Goedeke, and Mauch. He started 16 games and there were glimpses each game of him asserting himself as the one of the premier snappers in the league going forward. Moving over to the position after mainly playing as a left tackle in college, there was a steep learning curve.
Barton took it in stride, even if he admitted after the year that it was a “wild ride.” With his plus football IQ and athleticism, he made it everything appear easier than it really was. There were moments he surely wishes he had back, but his future remains bright.
Keeping offensive line coaches Kevin Carberry and Brian Picucci around will only aid his development, and a full NFL offseason gives him a prime opportunity to train, go over his film, and further settle in at the pivot spot. It’s hard not to see Barton drastically improve and becoming the third offensive lineman in as many seasons to go from a rookie learning on the fly to being high-quality long-term piece.
Will Calijah Kancey And Yaya Diaby Turn Into Sack Machines?
The Bucs defense needs to play better for the team to have any chance of making it farther in the postseason. Quarterback Baker Mayfield can only lead the offense to score so many points, and it is up to the defense to limit opposing team’s from having success. Outside additions will help, but it is also up to the incumbent talent to live up to their potential.
Bucs Dt Calijah Kancey And Olb Yaya Diaby
Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
It can be argued that the unit will only go as far as defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby can take them. One cannot understate how important their contributions are as two young starters who are each entering their third NFL season.
Kancey was drafted in part for his pass-rushing chops, and he led the team with 7.5 sacks playing in just 12 games last year. Should he remain healthy for a full season, it is likely he reaches the double-digit mark. While his explosion off the snap is one of his best attributes, there are other areas of his game that can improve upon, such as his run defense. Playing every game will give him every chance to become a dynamic sack producer and open things up for Diaby, Vita Vea, and newly acquired Haason Reddick.
Diaby improved across the board from 2023 to 2024, except in the sack department. “Sub-Zero” learned how to get to the quarterback regularly, finishing the season with a career-high and team-leading 65 pressures. Like Kancey, there is a realm where he can become a double-digit sacker. His sack total dipped from 7.5 sacks to 4.5 sacks despite improving as a pass rusher.
Teams will now have to account for the two-time Pro Bowl Reddick as well as Diaby. That will allow them to play off each other and should increase his sack total in the process. Being an outside linebacker under head coach Todd Bowles comes with more responsibilities than just that, but Diaby is entering a season where there will be more eyes on him. He needs to respond accordingly if he wants to be the team’s top pass rusher for years to come.
Who Has A Chance To Surprise?
It is easy to look at Graham Barton, Calijah Kancey, and Yaya Diaby and expect each of them to take the next step as top Bucs’ draft picks over the past two classes with the promise they have shown as starters already. Outside of the big names though, who are other players who can unexpectedly rise and contribute?
Two former second-round picks catch my eye.
Bucs Olb Chris Braswell
Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Defensive tackle Logan Hall took some promising steps forward last season, recording a career-high 5.5 sacks while playing 51% of the defensive snaps. Entering a contract year, this season will determine whether Hall can be more than a rotational piece and worthy of paying starter-level money to. What is encouraging is that he has gotten better each season and is always near veteran Will Gholston watching and learning.
Outside linebacker Chris Braswell did not have a Yaya Diaby-level breakout in his rookie season, but the signs of growth were there and the team remains excited to see the former Alabama product factor into the team’s plans at the position. Diaby and Haason Reddick are penciled in at the top of the depth chart, but there is a real chance Braswell can be right behind them – even if he is joined by a top draft pick.
He has the advantage of knowing the system over a rookie, which is a bigger advantage than one might think with how slow Todd Bowles can be giving inexperienced players the keys to a starting role. Braswell’s current competition to seeing the field more in his second season is Anthony Nelson, who was re-signed to a two-year deal this offseason. Should he look more polished and benefit from what amounted to a redshirt rookie year, fans could be in for a surprise.
Leave who you think could be the next Bucs’ draft pick to step up in the comments below.